Thursday, September 15, 2016

I have not heard otherwise so this must be the Mad Cow Moon we are currently having. The last loose cow sighting was yesterday afternoon when three black cows walked by Bulbarella's kitchen window headed to the back forty. They could have been the same three I saw on Monday. It has been non-stop cows for weeks.

It is getting scary dry out there. All these cows must be looking for greener pasture. Please somebody, make it stop. I'm really beginning to think a feral cow colony has set up camp on the mountain ridge that forms the county line and they wander out to the byway now and again before heading back in for cover.

Lucky for me cows are picky eaters and my tall blooming grasses are not on the menu.

Damn cows!

It is scary dry now with only a small chance of rain over the weekend, then next week is looking bone dry again. I have never seen this mountain this dry. We are approaching drop dead dry if this keeps up.

We will have to enjoy the flowers for Bloom Day while we still have them.

Most of the tall Miscanthus are in bloom. This one in more shade is the last to spike.

My new Aromatic Aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium is looking good. Being a new plant is has gotten a drink from me every now and again. I saw great big patches of these in Asheville on the stroll that had not bloomed yet. That gives me hope that it will like it here and multiply.

The Angelica gigas along the shores of our tiny brook enjoy a soil with a bit more moisture. Even that is drying up.

Drought, sun and hot in September have set the fade of the earlier bloomers of the Tall Flower Meadow in motion. All the asters which normally would be well under way by now are holding back. This year I may not get the breath taking overlap when the color blue sweeps through the meadow.

I found one full spray of the Blue Wood Aster, Symphyotrichum cordifolium.

There is quite a bit of the shade tolerant, Solidago caesia, my favorite Goldenrod.

Along with the White Snakeroot, Ageratina altissima, which is quite late this year. I consider it an August bloomer.

It's never the same from year to year.

A bit of Ironweed blooms with the yellow of the Goldenrod.

The Ironweed is self sowing and becoming more abundant.

It's scary dry out there and the Tall Flower Meadow continues to bloom. I think my aster display will be a bit muted if it ever gets going.

My least favorite Goldenrod, the thuggish Solidago canadenisis, is in full bloom. It's pretty, but it's a beast. It is time to start culling it.

The earth is cracked.
The leaves are falling.
The sky is bare of rain.

A Mad Cow Moon is rising.
Feral cows are running wild.
Except for the one that plowed through the roadside vegetable garden taking out a few tomatoes last month, I have been lucky. The Lush is not to their liking. They don't eat flowers. Praise be.

On another cloudless day, the bright morning sun lights up a drying meadow. I will enjoy its bounty before the crushing invasive of tree trimmers, winter snows or its total desiccation by drought, whichever comes first. It will return to the earth.

2 comments:

We are having the same problem. Springs that have never dried up are dry. Little for the cows to eat. We will soon have to start feeding hay....or sell them. I can hope. My wild flowers have had poor bloom this year. It is not supposed to cool down until the end of the month. I am concerned that our leaves will not have as much color this year either.

This will be a fall that you remember what with drought and feral cows. It is strange that anyone that owns cows wouldn't work a little harder to round up their $$on the hoof. I wonder what the deer and other animals think about such competition for the good grazing?? I hope you get some rain soon. Maybe the hurricanes will push some rain over the mountain to your spot. Happy GBBD anyway.